Former Duquesne point guard T.J. McConnell has decided to transfer to Arizona after two seasons with the Dukes.

The Pittsburgh native will compete for the point guard spot, a decision that will fall on the shoulders of Arizona coach Sean Miller, a former point guard at Pittsburgh. McConnell also considered Virginia as a transfer destination after former Duquesne coach Ron Everhart was fired last month.

“I just like the way they play and I obviously love their coaching staff,” McConnell told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I would love to play for a guy like Sean Miller. He’s one of the best coaches in the NCAA.”

Miller might be happy to see McConnell as well. Arizona will get a player with two years of eligibility remaining, and one who has produced in two seasons as a starting point guard. He averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds for Duquesne as a sophomore.

McConnell’s experience could be big for the Wildcats, who depended on Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson, a pair of highly touted freshmen, to fill a void left when Derrick Williams jumped to the NBA and point guard Momo Jones transferred to Iona.

McConnell will not be available to play until the 2013-14 season, by which time Turner could have rebounded from a freshman season that showed as much immaturity as it did promise.

Turner was rated the No. 3 point guard in the 2011 class, behind only Marquis Teague and Myck Kabongo. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists as a freshman and started 16 of the team’s final 17 regular season games.

He was indefinitely suspended after that stretch, however, and Miller left him out of the lineup as Arizona lost in the Pac-12 Tournament and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

McConnell's transfer offers insurance for the Wildcats if the talented Turner does not turn out to be the program-changer he was initially expected to be.